Man Utd should regret selling Eriksen upgrade who was wanted by Man City

After such a positive season last time around, Manchester United’s 2023/24 campaign has been rather disappointing.

As of right now, the race for Champions League football next term is an uphill battle, with the Red Devils sitting sixth in the Premier League.

However, in fairness to Erik ten Hag, he’s struggled to name a consistent starting side due to injuries, which is a key reason as to why the side hasn’t continued to progress.

One of those who has endured somewhat of a nightmare period both on the sidelines and in the squad is Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen.

Christian Eriksen’s current worth

At the start of last season, Eriksen joined Man United on a free transfer, following an impressive stint at Brentford, where he registered five goal contributions in ten games.

During his first campaign as a Red Devil, the signing of the Dane seemed like a bargain, with the experienced midfielder proving to be an important player for Ten Hag, as highlighted by the fact that he was United’s joint-top assister last season in the Premier League.

Despite starting 25 Premier League games in 2022/23 with only injuries preventing him from playing more, the 32-year-old has struggled to cement himself a spot this campaign, starting just nine matches.

This decrease in minutes has seen Eriksen’s estimated value drop all the way down to £8.6m as per Transfermarkt.

That’s a considerable drop from the £22m he was valued at during the opening months of his time at Old Trafford. A series of underwhelming displays, coupled with injury and a dwindling value may beg the question, why did United get rid of Fred?

Fred’s transfer value in 2024

In 2018, Brazilian gem Fred joined Jose Mourinho’s United from Shakhtar Donetsk for a huge fee of £52.5m, which at the time was the club’s third-most expensive signing of all time.

The number 17 made over 200 appearances for the Red Devils, but he was a player that often split opinions, with football content creator Liam Canning labelling Fred both “outrageous” and “infuriating.”

However, last summer, the 31-year-old departed Old Trafford for a fee of £12.9m, moving to Turkish side Fenerbahce, where he has thrived in a team that’s lost just once in 30 league games.

Although the midfielder left the Premier League, he has still held his value, and he’s now estimated to be worth £16.3m according to Transfermarkt.

This would still make him one of the least valuable midfielders in the current United crop, but Ten Hag may have been better off keeping the Brazilian instead of keeping Eriksen and signing Sofyan Amrabat.

Fred is known for his ability to be an excellent squad player who has proven to step up when needed. This was particularly on display when United faced tougher opposition last season, with the tenacious tackler showing his influence against Barcelona in the Europa League, for example, when he scored and assisted across both legs.

Over the two games, Fred also made ten tackles, which highlights his defensive security; however, the aspects that Fred thrives in are where Eriksen struggles the most, in regards to energy, tackling, and out-of-possession tenacity, as shown by the former Spurs players 0.9 tackles per game in the Premier League this season.

Overall, it’s quite clear that letting Fred go in order to keep a declining Eriksen may have been a mistake, with the profile of the former missing in the United squad for Ten Hag this season.